Saint Mary’s University

Department of Psychology

Psychology 1250.1A (Social Behaviour)

Fall 2009

 

Class:              Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:15, McNally Main Theatre Auditorium

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00-10:00 & 11:15-12:00, or by appointment

 

Instructor:

Steven M. Smith, PhD

Office: MS 324

Phone: 420-5852

E-mail: steven.smith@smu.ca

Course Website: http://husky1.stmarys.ca/~ssmith1/welcome.html

 

Teaching Assistants:

Ms. Yevonne Le Lacheur; email: yevonne.lelacheur@SMU.CA

Office hours: 11:00am-1pm, Mondays in MM309-A, or by appointment.

 

Ms. Mallory Wolchuk; email: Mallory.Wolchuk@SMU.CA

Office hours: 12:15-2:15, Wednesdays, in MM309-A, or by appointment.

 

Course Objectives: Social psychology studies the individual in the social context. This unique perspective examines a number of interesting and important aspects of how we relate to our social worlds. This course will examine the processes that underlie how we behave in our social world and will attempt to uncover some of the processes that guide our behaviour, with and without our awareness. The goals of this course are for you to a) improve your knowledge of the scientific method and hone your critical thinking skills; b) gain an understanding of the basic findings of several areas of social psychology; and c) apply this knowledge to your everyday experience. Consequently, lectures and readings will focus on the topics of social influence, social relations, social perception, attitudes and persuasion, and the applied implications of these findings.

 

Text

Myers, D. G. & Smith, S. M. (2009). Exploring Social Psychology: 2nd Canadian Edition.

Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

 

Evaluation

Test 1 (Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009)                                  20%

Test 2 (Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009)                                20%

Test 3 (Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009)                               25%

Test 4 (Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009)                               10%

Research Assignment (Thurs. Nov. 19, 2009)            25%

 

There will be four in-class tests.  Each of these tests will cover the material immediately preceding it (from lectures and readings), and will count for 10-25% of the final mark.  The tests will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions.  If you miss a test with verifiable medical excuse signed by a physician, or for a compelling reason, (e.g., a verifiable death in your immediate family just before the exam) you will be required to write a make-up exam. However, you must contact me within 48 hours of the test, or you will receive a mark of 0% on that test. In the case of the psychology department, make-up exams will be scheduled during the regular make-up time (usually Friday afternoons). There is also a research assignment you must complete for the course. This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade. This assignment is described below. Note that you will also be able to accumulate up to 5 bonus points for participating in departmental psychology studies. You can sign up for these studies by going to the following link: http://www.smu.ca/academic/science/psych/bonussystem.html also available from the psychology department website.

 

Mark Posting:

 

Typically, 1-2 weeks after a test or assignment, I will post your marks by my office door by student number (i.e., no names will be posted). I will also post them on the P drive and through the SMUport link for our course. During the first test I will ask you to sign a permission form to do this. Because of new regulations stemming from the recent implementation of the Freedom of Information - Protection of Privacy Act, you of course, have the choice about your marks being posted. If you would prefer that your marks not be posted, do not sign the permission form during the first test.

 

COURSE OUTLINE

Week              Date                Topic                                                  Assigned Reading     

1-2                   Sept. 15           Introducing Social Psychology           Modules 1-2

3                      Sept. 22           Social Thinking                                   Modules 3-4

4                      Sept. 29           Social Thinking                                   Modules 5-7

                                                            -Test #1: Oct. 1

5                      Oct. 6              Social Influence                                  Modules 8-9

6                      Oct. 13            Social Influence                                  Modules 10-11

7                      Oct. 20            Social Influence                                  Modules 12-13

                                                            -Test #2: Oct. 22

8                      Oct. 27            Social Relations                                  Modules 14-15

9                      Nov. 3             Social Relations                                  Modules 16-17

10                    Nov. 10           Social Relations                                  Modules 18-20

                                                            -Test #3: Nov. 12

11                    Nov. 17           Applying Social Psychology               Modules 21-22

12                    Nov. 24           Applying Social Psychology               Modules 23-24

                                                            -Test #4: Nov. 26                  

 

Social Psychology: Guidelines for research article review paper

The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with how scientific results are reported in the social psychological literature and expand your knowledge beyond the confines of the textbook. In addition, a goal of this assignment is to hone your ability to act as a critical thinker. However, it is important to note that your goal is not only to be critical of the article’s weak points, but recognize the strengths of the article as well. There are several steps to be undertaken in order to complete this assignment. First, you must select an article to review. There are certain requirements that must be met by the article you select:

 

1) The article must be in the area of social psychology

2) The article must have been published in the last 10 years

3) It must describe a specific study or set of studies (i.e., it cannot be a solely theoretical paper)

4) It must not be an article selected by another student. Once you have chosen your article, you must let Yevonne Le Lacheur (the TA) know (via email: yevonne.lelacheur@SMU.CA) what article you have chosen. Failure to do this will result in a grade of ZERO on the assignment. In addition, in the email YOU MUST provide the citation in the format indicated below. Because of this criterion, it is useful to select your article early in the term. In any case, the article must be approved 3 weeks before the due date (i.e., no later than Oct. 30, 2009).

 

The EASIEST way to find an article is to use PSYCINFO to search on a particular topic and access the library database. The vast majority of journals provide fulltext online versions, accessible through the library database. Your article must be from any one of the following journals: Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, European Journal of Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, or Basic and Applied Social Psychology. NOTE: many published articles report more than one study. If this is the case for the article you select, focus on one study from the paper in writing your assignment.

 

In writing this assignment you must follow the requirements below:

1. Include a full reference to the article using appropriate APA style, e.g.:

Mossman, D. (1994). Assessing predictions of violence: Being accurate about accuracy. Journal of

Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 62, 783-792.

2. Summarize the purpose of the article and briefly describe how the study conducted in the article follows from previous research or addresses questions that had previously been left unanswered.

3. If the study was an experiment, what was/were the primary independent variable(s)? What was/were the primary dependent variable(s)? If the study looked at correlational data what were the predictor (measured) and outcome (dependent) variables?

4. What type of research method was used in the study (e.g., laboratory experiment, field experiment, correlational)?

5. Summarize the methods of the study (be brief: look in “Procedure” and “Methods” section of the paper).

6. What were the (one or two) primary findings of the study? Did they support the hypotheses?

7. Make suggestions for future research. How would your suggestions extend the findings?

8. Relate your article to a relevant issue in the textbook (Myers & Smith, 2009).

9. Attach a copy of the article you have critiqued to your paper. Do not exceed 5 pages double spaced.

 

Due Dates:        Thursday, Nov. 19th, 10:00am (i.e., the start of class).

 

Late assignments WILL NOT be accepted.